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Katagia
Katagia, the Last Bastion of Atlantis, is the only city to still consider itself "Atlantean” after Atlantis sank beneath the waves, Katagia is torn between those who want to restore Atlantis’s glory and those who want to build a new civilization here on Thule. It's been three centuries since Atlantis sunk beneath the waves, and Katagia is still coming to terms with that disaster and what it means to Atlanteans when Atlantis is no more. One the capital of Atlantis' colonies in Thule, Katagia is determined to reclaim the glories of the Shining Empire. The difficulty is that few Katagians can agree on how to accomplish that. Some Katagians are determined—some say too determined—to live life as if Atlantis still ruled. Others lash out at anything non-Atlantean, blaming the rest of the world for the loss of their home. And some are trying to take the best of Thule under the Katagian banner, combining the strengths of their new continent with the traditions and learning of the old. History, from Colony to Capital The Atlanteans landed on the southern shores of Thule in 307 AR, only three centuries after Emperor Evenor founded the empire. Despite the forbidding terrain and the even more forbidding natives, the Atlantean colonists made steady progress, founding Katagia in 495 AR and eventually reaching the Golden Sea in 1673 AR. But a costly war with Lemuria distracted Atlantis, and Thule’s natives started to chip away at the colonies’ borders. The Atlantean colonies on Thule fell into chaos in 1906 AR when Atlantis sank beneath the waves, with most native Atlanteans fleeing for the relatively safety of Katagia. Native Thuleans reclaimed most of the Atlantean conquests, but the banners of Atlantis still flew above Katagia—and they still fly there today, even if the rest of the continent is only dimly aware that Atlantis once existed. City Description Katagia’s dominant feature is its walls—not just the stone battlements that surround the city, but the many internal walls that separate neighborhood from neighborhood. The product of overzealous military planners when the Atlantean colony on Thule was expanding rapidly, the walls sometimes bisect a city block and in a few memorable instances run right through the middle of a building. The walls, built and rebuilt in a variety of architectural styles, give the city an insular feel and contribute to one of the city’s nicknames: the Honeycomb. A visitor to Katagia experiences the city only a few blocks at a time, making the city seem much smaller than it actually is. The Bronze Locks Named for the once-shiny fittings now turned green with age, the Bronze Dam was originally built to regulate the Tambur River’s flow into Devilsun Bay but quickly became a means for Katagia to extract tolls from merchant traffic heading up and down the river. Today the Bronze Locks are a prize for whichever faction is ascendant in Katagian politics; the tolls from river traffic fund all sorts of factional ambitions. The Tidal Wards '''The three southernmost wards in Katagia have sunk beneath sea level, so residents get from place to place via canals rather than streets. Most basements are flooded, and the loathsome fish-men known as skum have started moving in, creating their own secret settlement underneath the flooded parts of Katagia. '''Blackfalcon Tower Home of the Saursane family, one of the political factions grasping for power in Katagia, the tower is the tallest and most imposing in the city. Made entirely of black granite shipped from Atlantis at ruinous cost, the tower has upper reaches forbidden to all but family members and a dungeon below where the Saursanes dispose of their enemies. The Winged Tower Asura’s greatest temple on Thule, the Winged Tower is so named for the trained wyverns that roost among its balconies and buttresses. The great brazier atop the tower—lit at all times, no matter the weather—is visible throughout the city and even to ships at sea. If the flame were to be extinguished, the bad omen would ripple throughout Asura’s faith across the continent. The Grand Orrery Located in a walled-off section of central Katagia, this artifact was built five centuries ago to show how moons and constellations cross the sky. It’s in constant motion, though it no longer corresponds to the actual sky and no one seems to know how to recalibrate it, or what would happen if the orrery worked properly once again. As a matter of civic pride, most Katagians would very much like to get the orrery working again, and they still use its gleaming copper arms and spheres as a meeting place and chaotic bazaar. Authority Lord Protector Denoch Saursane heads the political faction that is (temporarily at least) ascendant in Katagia; the Saursanes represent a conservative faction that wants to protect Atlanteans and preserve Atlantean culture at any cost. Denoch’s efforts are often thwarted by the Diluvials, a collection of activist families that want to declare a formal Atlantean monarch, found a new dynasty, and raise an army to conquer the Claws of Imystrahl and eventually Thule. Also influential are the Sea-Barons, a cabal of merchant princes who want to rebuild a powerful Atlantean fleet but don’t hold territorial ambitions, and the New Katagians, a coalition of families—many human, not Atlantean—who want Katagia to become a stable Thulean city-state without all the trappings of Atlantis. Inhabitants About two-third’s of Katagia’s population is Atlantean, with the remaining third divided in half between humans and everyone else. Krufa Saursane is one of Denoch’s trusted nephews and a committed Atlantean supremacist, although he holds no particular animus toward individuals of other races. He’s always plotting against the other factions and rival city-states, and he fancies himself a spymaster, hiring cats-paws like the PCs for all sorts of missions. Beritt the Withered is one of the Sea-Barons, accomplished in weather magic. Too old for long sea voyages, she manages her trading company’s affairs from Katagia. If something happens in a far-off part of Thule, Beritt is often the first Katagian to hear of it. Vrokath is a noble scion of Katagia and one of the more radical firebrands among the Diluvials. He wants Atlantis to return to its rightful place in the world—no matter that the continent rests on the ocean floor. He’s begun to make inquiries about a powerful ritual connected to Great Cthulhu that could raise Atlantis above the waves, sinking Thule in its place. Trade Katagia’s artisans are some of the finest on the continent, especially when it comes to art, sculpture, and other luxury goods. The sculptors, jewelers, painters, and clothiers of Katagia keep Atlantean styles and techniques alive, and the rest of Thule pays dearly for such craftsmanship. Katagia imports some food and raw materials from upriver, and the various factions are always seeking conscripts for their private armies. Concerns Recently the priests of Tarhun have been struggling with traditional fight trainers for control of the gladiatorial “pit fights” of Katagia; the priests have always blessed the duels and healed the gladiators, but now they want a greater say in how the fights are run—and perhaps a share of the profits. The New Katagians are reaching out to the human towns of Putrann, Garrit, and Hakrim to the east, inquiring about the possibility of a mutual defense pact. Secrets *Beritt the Withered isn’t well-informed just because she gets reports from her sea-captains; she’s also in possession of artifacts called the Ebon Scrolls that multiply the potency of her divination magic. Krufa Saursane knows Beritt has the Ebon Scrolls, and he’s scheming to take them from her. *Unbeknownst to any of the four factions, the skum underneath the Tidal Wards are in contact with Great Cthulhu, and they plan to eventually seize the city, repair the Grand Orrery, and use it to foretell Cthulhu’s return.